Junior Research Scientist - Clinical Research

New York University; Al Ruways Industrial City; On-site; AED 200,880 - 290,160; Full time

Job summary

New York University Abu Dhabi is hiring a Junior Research Scientist specializing in Clinical Research to support brain health studies within a dynamic academic environment in Abu Dhabi. The role involves coordinating important clinical and translational research activities, managing participant recruitment, and ensuring compliance with ethical standards.

Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 2-3 years of experience in human-subjects research. This position offers opportunities to work closely with diverse populations and contribute meaningful insights into brain health research.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of experience in human-subjects research or clinical trials.
• Strong coordination skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills in English.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate clinical and translational research activities.
• Manage participant recruitment workflows and documentation.
• Liaise with investigators and external facilities for smooth study execution.

Skills

Clinical research coordination

Human-subjects research

Participant recruitment

Pre-screening

Informed consent

Research ethics documentation

Regulatory compliance

Neuroscience research

Neuroimaging coordination

English communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in psychology, neuroscience, or related field

Master's degree or clinical qualification

Job description

Job Snapshot

Role: Junior Research Scientist - Clinical Research

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Higher Education

Function: Clinical Research

Experience: 2-3 years in human-subjects research, clinical trials, or clinical research coordination

Job Type: Full-time

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Abu Dhabi

Industry: Higher Education

Function: Clinical Research

Salary: 18,000-26,000 AED (estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the city; final offer to be confirmed with the employer)

Gender: Any

Candidate Nationality: Any

Context

The Junior Research Scientist - Clinical Research will support the Center for Brain and Health at New York University Abu Dhabi by coordinating clinical and observational research focused on brain health and disease across diverse populations in the UAE and wider MENA region. The position carries strong operational importance because it connects participants, investigators, clinicians, imaging teams, ethics requirements, and research documentation into a smooth and compliant study workflow.

The role will contribute to meaningful scientific work involving advanced neuroimaging, neuromonitoring, behavioural methods, participant safety, and translational research that can improve understanding of brain health in regional and global contexts.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate day‑to‑day clinical and translational research activities for human‑subjects studies focused on brain health, neurological conditions, behavioural research, and disease‑related outcomes.
• Manage participant recruitment workflows, including pre‑screening, eligibility checks, informed consent coordination, appointment scheduling, reminders, and follow‑up communication.
• Maintain accurate regulatory, ethics, and study documentation in line with human research standards, institutional requirements, and approved protocols.
• Liaise with faculty investigators, research assistants, clinicians, students, clinical partners, imaging teams, and external facilities to support smooth study execution.
• Oversee participant‑facing workflows for MRI, EEG, MEG, and related research sessions while ensuring participant comfort, safety, and compliance with approved procedures.
• Support clinical governance processes by monitoring study procedures, documenting deviations, tracking approvals, and ensuring research activities follow established protocols.
• Assist in developing and updating standard operating procedures for recruitment, consent, data collection, participant handling, clinical documentation, and study coordination.
• Track recruitment progress, study milestones, participant flow, screening metrics, session completion, and follow‑up status for internal reporting.
• Support training of research assistants and students involved in participant coordination, documentation, study workflow, and responsible research conduct.
• Work closely with dedicated neuroimaging and research assistants who manage technical data acquisition, imaging pipelines, and analysis.
• Contribute to ethics submissions, grant applications, amendments, continuing reviews, study updates, progress reports, and research administration materials.
• Help maintain high‑quality clinical and behavioural research data by ensuring accurate entry, secure handling, timely documentation, and proper communication between teams.
• Participate in multidisciplinary discussions to improve study workflow, participant experience, compliance quality, and research delivery.
• Support a research environment that values safety, precision, respect, confidentiality, and strong scientific standards.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's degree in psychology, neuroscience, biomedical sciences, nursing, clinical research, health sciences, or a closely related field.
• Master's degree or clinical qualification in nursing, allied health, clinical psychology, neuroscience, or biomedical sciences is strongly preferred.
• 2-3 years of experience coordinating human‑subjects research, clinical trials, observational studies, or participant‑facing clinical research projects.
• Previous exposure to neurology, psychiatry, psychology, brain health, neuroimaging, neuromodulation, or clinical neuroscience research is highly valuable.
• Familiarity with ethical and regulatory requirements for human research, including informed consent, protocol compliance, documentation, and participant safety.
• Experience working with patient populations or diverse participant groups in a clinical, hospital, research centre, or university research setting.
• Practical understanding of MRI, EEG, MEG, TMS, behavioural assessments, or neuroimaging research environments will be an advantage.
• Strong coordination skills with the ability to manage schedules, documentation, participant communication, and study timelines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Arabic or other languages commonly spoken in the UAE would be an added asset.
• Comfortable working with faculty investigators, clinicians, research assistants, students, and external research partners.
• Strong attention to detail, ethical judgment, confidentiality awareness, and commitment to high‑quality clinical research practice.

Skills Set

• Clinical research coordination
• Human‑subjects research
• Participant recruitment
• Pre‑screening
• Informed consent
• Research ethics documentation
• Regulatory compliance
• Clinical trial support
• Observational research
• Brain health research
• Neuroscience research
• Psychology research
• Biomedical research
• Neuroimaging coordination
• MRI research workflow
• EEG research workflow
• MEG research workflow
• TMS familiarity
• Behavioural assessment support
• Participant safety
• Clinical governance
• Standard operating procedures
• Study progress tracking
• Recruitment metrics
• Grant application support
• Ethics submission support
• Progress reporting
• Research documentation
• Data quality support
• Multidisciplinary coordination
• English communication
• Arabic language advantage

Why Join Us

This role offers a strong opportunity for a Junior Research Scientist - Clinical Research to contribute to important brain health research within Abu Dhabi's growing academic and scientific ecosystem. The position provides exposure to advanced neuroimaging, clinical research governance, multidisciplinary collaboration, participant‑centred study delivery, and regional research focused on diverse UAE and MENA populations.

It is a valuable opportunity for a motivated research professional who wants to build deeper expertise in neuroscience, clinical coordination, human‑subjects research, and translational brain health studies while working in a respected international university environment.

About the Company

New York University Abu Dhabi is a leading global research university campus in the United Arab Emirates, bringing together advanced scholarship, multidisciplinary research, and a highly international academic community. The university supports impactful work across science, engineering, health‑related research, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. Through centres such as the Center for Brain and Health, NYU Abu Dhabi provides a strong platform for researchers contributing to clinical, translational, and scientific projects that address important regional and global challenges.